BASKETBALL Close call against Washburn is the perfect motivator for team, coach Bill Self says. PAGE 7A
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2004
www.kansan.com
Kansas rebounds
Tonight's game essential for team self-evaluation
BY PAUL BRAND
pbrand@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Last week was good for Kaylee Brown, who recently earned a spot in the Kansas women's basketball team's starting line-up. She can only hope tonight's game has the same solid second half.
"It's a matter of finishing the game," the junior guard said.
the junior guard sale.
In the first exhibition game against Fort Hays State, an 88-49 victory, the Kansas players did exactly that. Following a disappointing first half of play, Kansas outscored the Tigers 51-25 in the last 20 minutes. Taking the improvement of the second-half of that game into tonight's home exhibition contest against the West Coast All-Stars will be integral in a Jayhawk victory.
Coach Bonnie Henrickson said the team had been working on rebounding during the week of practice preparation. Fort Hays pulled down 22 offensive rebounds, which could have been crippling had the Tigers not shot a frigid 26.6 percent from the field.
BROWN
Henrickson blamed the weak-side rebounding on too much penetration, something that might be more difficult to contain against the All-Star team — a team Henrickson characterizes as much more athletic than Fort Havs.
Hays.
The West Coast team has already played and lost to six other NCAA afoes, including Texas Tech in the Big 12.
including Texas fans in the game Kansas is 25-8 all-time in exhibition games winning 10 preseason games.
games winning 10 points.
On the offensive end, the Jayhawks are looking for more powerful play from junior forward Crystal Kemp.
who in last week's game tallied only 24 minutes because of early foul trouble. Kemp finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, mostly in the second half.
With the regular season opener against Texas-Arlington only five days away, the Jayhawks are focused on steady team development instead of just victories.
"We're more concerned about us," Henrickson said. "We better be a whole lot better when we open against UT-Arlington. We're closer than we were last time we played, but every practice we need to get a little closer."
practice we need to get the If the Jayhawks give a dominant performance tonight, team members could be more certain that Sunday's home-opener will be solid.
"That's why they have these," Brown said of exhibition games. " Hopefully, after this next exhibition game, we'll be ready."
Edited by Johanna M. Masba
Jayhawks unsure which All-Stars team will show at tonight's hoops match
BY BJ RAINS brains@kansan.com KANSAN SPORTWRITER
The team is the West Coast All-Stars. Its coach is Jerry Gatewood. Other than that, the Kansas women's basketball team doesn't know much about its opponent for tonight's exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse.
ton game Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson and her squad have a roster, stats, and even a game film for the All-Stars. One problem, though — it appears there is more than one All-Stars team.
more than one All-Stars team. Henrickson said that a second West Coast All-Stars team, a team that lost to UCLA 93-45 on Saturday, could show up to play tonight, instead of the
team that has played four games, including a 77-56 loss to Tennessee on Sunday. The Jayhawks only have a scouting report for the team that played Tennessee, so that's who they have been preparing for.
Phone calls to coach Gatewood have not been returned.
"Now is that the team that is going to show up on Tuesday? We don't know," Henrickson said. "There's some rumor that he has a different team coming. So with our luck, we'll prepare for them, and the other team will show up."
show up.
Regardless of who the Jayhawks play tonight, Henrickson is focused on her team, and what they need to accomplish. It really doesn't matter who they play.
"Right now, we're more concerned about us. We've put in some new
JEAN SHORT MADNESS
RYAN GREENE
rgreene@kansan.com
Listen to soccer's needs
Dear Mr. Lew Perkins,
We joke about it and we talk about it. We'll go in the locker room, and there's like mice poop lining the door frame, and we're just like "are you kidding me?" — Monica Brothers, senior forward, Kansas soccer team
It was great to read about the $3.15 million gift that benefactors Dana and Sue Anderson donated toward the football facility project on Friday. Plus, there is still the speculation of a $20 million gift coming from Tennessee Titans owner and Kansas alum Bud Adams in the near future. These are exciting times for von
There is no question that coach Mark Mangino has the football program headed in the right direction, and he showed some major gusto in his postgame defense of his team on Saturday.
But how does the Athletics Department continue to ignore what's going on just behind the football team's practice field at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex by not rewarding the high-performing soccer team with a decent facility of its own?
I headed over to the soccer complex on Friday to watch the Jayhawks take on the Creighton Bluejays in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It was one of the best atmospheres I had ever seen at a Kansas soccer game, and the team was equally electric in its 3-1 victory. Despite Sunday's 2-1 overtime defeat against Nebraska, it's hard not to be impressed with those girls.
impressed you were there, so I'm almost sure that you left with the same impressions.
What was most impressive about the victory against Creighton was that after the Jayhawks gave up an early goal, they played the rest of the game with an air of confidence. They were physical and nasty. That's the confidence that comes when you have emerged as one of the top teams in the country.
Yeah, I think it is a little frustrating. I think it will change eventually. I don't know how long it will be until a change will be made. The
Brotherly love off the track
But if the Jayhawks' new image alone is not enough to intimidate opponents that come to Lawrence, then their "facility" certainly does not help.
SEE LISTEN ON PAGE 6A
Chris Jones, senior cross country runner, laughs as Lawrence Hubbard, 13-year-old seventh grader at Southwest Junior High, talks about girls. Jones is Lawrence's "Big Brother" through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. They said they enjoy watching Chiefs games, playing basketball, and, of course, talking about girls.
BY FRANK TANKARD
ftankard@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
Meet Lawrence Hubbard. He's a rap writer. A football and basketball player. A smooth dancer. A kid with a bright future and a laid back, Fonzie-meets-Jay Z attitude.
He's 13 years old, a seventh grader at Southwest Junior High.
"I'm bodacious," he said. "As soon as I step into a room, they drop jaws. I'm not joking."
When Chris Jones, a senior and one of the top runners on the Kansas cross country and track teams, volunteered to spend time with Lawrence through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program a little more than a year ago, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
In some ways, they're from two different worlds. Jones grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, with both his parents. His dad is vice president of a bank and his mom works as a radiologist.
mom works Lawrence lives with his stepdad and his mom, who runs a daycare from their home. His father is a rapper in Atlanta and has been away for most of Lawrence's life.
Jones said he and Lawrence were a perfect match. When they get together once or twice a week at the house Jones shares with three other Kansas distance runners, Jones said they spend most of their time shooting hoops in his driveway, watching movies, playing video games and listening to music. Regular friend stuff.
regular friend staff We're both really into athletics and
sports," Jones said. "Also a big thing for him is rap music, and I've always listened to that. It's been easy to connect."
nect.
Jones assumes the "big brother" role too. He said one of the lessons he's been trying to teach Lawrence is avoiding confrontations at school. Lawrence has had his share of suspensions, usually for backtalking to a teacher or pushing another kid in the hall.
Jones said it was hard for Lawrence to get out of trouble when he was the
kid who was always in the principal's office, the one getting looked at by the teachers and the one who other children looked at like they're ready for him to start another fight.
him to start another debate.
Lawrence sometimes resists Jones'
advice. Lawrence has his own philosophy:
"You got to give respect to get it," he said one recent Sunday afternoon in Jones' basement.
"Isn't that something you get in trouble for all the time?" Jones responded.
Lawrence looked at the floor. "Yea!" he said with a sigh.
Lawrence's life hasn't always been about getting a fair shake. Jones said Lawrence had dealt with problems Jones can't imagine. For instance, one of Lawrence's uncles became involved with a gang and get shot.
"He's gone through more in his life than most adults that I know," Jones said. "He's just experienced more and
SEE BROTHER ON PAGE 6A
Men's club soccer in national tourney
The Kansas men's club soccer team celebrate after winning the regional tournament in Wichita. The team left today for the national tournament in Austin, Texas.
Contributed photo
BY JESSICA FERGEN
jfergen@kansan.com
KANANS SPORTSWITTER
For the second straight year, the Kansas men's club soccer team will play in the national tournament. This year, the team is looking to redeem itself.
The club team traveled to nationals last year, only to return home empty handed. As the team leaves today for Austin, Texas, today, they do so on a mission.
"Last year we didn't do so well," Kevin Faddis, Kansas City, Kam., junior, said. "So this year we've got something to prove."
we've got something to prove. The team qualified for nationals by winning the regional tournament in Wichita in October.
The road through regionals wasn't a smooth one for the Jayhawks. When the team fell to Oklahoma in the first round of the tournament on Oct. 22, qualifying for the national tournament didn't look good.
"We were disappointed with the result because we thought we were a better team than they were," Faddis said. "We outplayed them the
entire game except the first few minutes of each half, and so we were playing from behind the rest of the game."
of the game.
The next morning, however, the team rallied and beat Wichita State, 7-0. A 0-0 tie with Oklahoma State University's "japan" team — a team from OSU made up entirely of Japanese exchange students — was barely enough to get the Jayhawks into the semifinals.
the Jayhawks made it "It was a release, because we knew that the OSU-Japan game was going to be really tough." Aaron Siebert, Lawrence senior, said. "We were pretty pumped up that we had made it to the semifinals."
seminars.
Next, Kansas met in-state rival Kansas State.
With two seconds left in sudden death overtime,
Wichita graduate student Tim Nussbaum scored
on a pass from San Diego sophomore Brian
Busch and the Jayhawks defeated the Wildcats
for the first time this season.
for the first time that she said,
"That was great, a really exhilarating moment."
Faddis said. "I haven't been tired in a game
all year. Everybody just went really hard, but
SEE SOCCER ON PAGE 6A
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